Chapter 73
Tessa’s POV
The second the door clicked shut behind Kane, a tidal wave of emotions crashed down over me, threatening to pull me under.
My lips still tingled from his kiss, but the warmth of his touch was already fading, replaced by a gnawing emptiness in my chest by the absence of his
presence.
‘I really do love you too, Kane,” I whispered to the closed door, my voice trembling as if somehow he could still hear me.
But he was gone, and I didn’t even know how long for…
The weight of reality pressed down on me, forcing me to sink back onto the bed. My body shook as the first sob escaped, breaking through the fragile composure I had fought so hard to maintain while he was still here. The tears came fast and relentless, each one fueled by the gnawing fear that I might never see him again.
I buried my face in my hands, trying to stifle the sound of my cries, but it was no use. The heartache was too raw, too overpowering. My mind raced with a thousand horrible possibilities, each one worse than the last.
I had only just gotten him back, and so this all felt selfishly unfair…
What if he didn’t come back?
What if Dimitri’s pack overwhelmed them?
What if Kane got hurt or worse
–
and all because of me?!
I tried to take a steadying breath, but it hitched in my throat, sending another wave of tears spilling over as I broke down. My chest ached as though it might split in two, the pain of my worries manifesting physically.
How long would he be gone for? A night? Days? Weeks? Longer?!
The uncertainty was unbearable. I glanced at the clock on the wall, but its ticking only seemed to mock me, each second dragging by like an eternity.
And then there was Erin. What would happen to her and me while the men were all gone off to battle?
Kane had promised that Kion’s pack would keep us safe, but how much could I trust these strangers – wolves who didn’t know us, who didn’t owe us anything?
Would they even care about two random human girls from another country?
Who else here even spoke English?
The questions buzzed around in my mind, each one adding to the suffocating feeling residing in my chest. The unfamiliar surroundings of Kion’s pack only amplified my sense of isolation.
Despite Kane’s reassurances, I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were little more than outsiders here, vulnerable and alone once again – all feelings we had previously gone through back at Dimitri’s compound.
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Chapter 73
The sound of the door opening jolted me from my spiralling thoughts as I quickly wiped at my face with my palms. My head snapped up, and I watched the door in anticipation, trying to compose myself.
“Tessa?” Erin’s voice was soft, filled with concern as she stepped into the room, bringing me relief that it was only her.
Her eyes were already red and swollen, immediately locking onto mine as she shared my misery…
The sight of her disheveled hair and trembling hands told me everything I needed to know she was feeling the same crushing despair that I was.
Seth had left her behind too, and now we were both drowning in the same storm of worry and heartache.
Without a word, Erin closed the door over behind her and rushed across to my side and sank down onto the bed beside me. She wrapped her arms around me, pulling me into a tight embrace, and that was all it took for the floodgates to open up once again.
What would I ever do without her?
“I c–can’t do this again, Erin,” I choked out between sobs, my voice muffled against her shoulder. “I can’t just sit here and wait, not knowing if he’s going to be okay out there or if he’s even coming back to me!”
Her grip on me tightened as her own tears began to fall, soaking into my hair. “I know,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “I feel the same way about Seth. It’s killing me too, Tessa. I know they are doing the right thing, but it all just seems so unfair!”
We clung to each other like lifelines, the shared weight of our fears binding us together.
For a long time, neither of us spoke after that, the only sounds in the room being our quiet sobs and the occasional sniffle followed by the relentless wind blowing from outside – reminding us of how cold it was out there.
Would Kane and Seth be warm enough out there travelling?! Maybe we should have told them before they left… damn it!
Eventually, Erin pulled back just enough to look at me, her hands still gripping my shoulders. “Maybe we are being ridiculous Tessa… Kane and Seth are strong and powerful wolves,” she said, her voice steadier now, though her eyes were still glassy with tears. “They’ll come back to us. They have to. They wouldn’t have left us behind if they weren’t certain of that!”
I nodded weakly, though her words offered me a little comfort. “But what if they don’t?” I whispered, my voice barely audible.
Erin shook her head fiercely. “Don’t think like that, Tessa. We can’t- Her voice cracked, and she took a deep breath before continuing. “We can’t let ourselves go there. They need us to stay strong, to believe in them. They travelled all the way here just to find us and they’ll do it again if they have to!”
I wanted to believe her. I wanted to hold onto the hope that Kane and Seth would return unscathed, that this nightmare would soon be over. But the doubts in my mind were relentless and harsh, whispering cruel possibilities that I couldn’t ignore.
It was worse, too, knowing already the sort of man they were both up against – Dimitri.
He was cruel, stocky and intense. An authoritative figure who should have never made it in to power. He was evil, and would stop at nothing to push back on this fight.
From the short encounters we had faced, he didn’t seem like the type to back down from a fight – he or his men.
“What are we even supposed to do while they’re gone?” I asked, my voice trembling. “Just sit here and mope? Pretend like everything’s fine? This is awful!”
Erin bit her lip, her gaze dropping down to her lap. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “But we at least have each other. That has to count for something, right? At
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1:39 pm
Chapter 73
this point, we’ve faced worse together, haven’t we? I mean, things could be worse for us… we could still be trapped there without any hope of Kane and Seth
4
ever coming back in to our lives that most definitely sucked way more than this.”
I nodded again, knowing that she had a point there.
“You’re right…” I breathed, as she pushed out a small smile of hope, forcing us to remain strong.
For the next few minutes, we sat in a brief silence, our shared presence the only thing keeping us sane.
Eventually, Erin leaned back against the headboard, pulling the blanket around her shoulders like a shield.
‘I wish I could just stop worrying, life would be a hell of a lot easier,” she said softly, her voice tinged with exhaustion. “But I can’t.”
“Me neither,” I admitted, my eyes drifting to the door.
The empty room felt unbearably quiet without Kane’s presence, and I realised with a sinking feeling that this was only the beginning of the waiting game.
Kane had asked me to stay behind, to trust him. And I would – but only because I had no choice.
But that didn’t make the waiting any easier…
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
